Suggest Improvements

[workinprogress]

Hello All,

This spring will be my thrid year of backyard sugaring. The first year was just a couple taps and a big pot to boil. Last year I made a homemade arch that uses two steam table pans to process batches. I made about a gal and half of syrup. My biggest problem last year was firewood not ready. I am ready for this year with firewood but wanted to keep improving things.

I was planning on building a preheating system to slowly feed the two pans but wanted to see if anyone had any other suggestions.

I have attached photos of my rough set up.

Thanks for the suggestions.

[Haynes Forest Products]

Being out in the wind and elements I would get some tin or bricks up around the sides of the pans to keep the heat in and the wind off. Copper coil preheater around the stack can help get the sap up to speed. There is alot of threads about that subject. Putting flat sheet metal with hole in the center laying flat on top of the pans will help increase the temp and help with the heat loss. Looks better than anything I had for my first few years.

[marky the mapler]

I might bring up the bed of your arch. You don't need a lot of room between your back pan and the bottom of the arch. Do you have any kind of forced draft via a blower of any kind? Putting anykind of air under or into the firebox helps.

[workinprogress]

No the only draft I have is the 12 ft of chimney. In the picture showing the front of the unit I have a plate (below the door) that I have been using to control the air going in. The area allows the air to come in under the bottom grates.

[whalems]

open up the draft under the door and let it breath:)

[SalisburySugaring]

I think you need to builld a nice sugar house around it.:o

[Sugarmaker]

Sky's the limit on improvements, I went nuts and added 4 major improvements for 2011. So its not as much what you do. As it is do you know when to stop?
I would start with a nice 16 x 20 foot timber frame sugar house. When you have that done the rest will fall into place:)
I think you have a very nice set up now.
"Keep your wood dry and close by". ( hey that has a nice ring to it:) Take a look at the threads on building your own pans for that arch too. Looks like you could set a drop flue pan on the rear and divided reverse flow pan on the front? They would be small but might boil a lot faster?
Chris

[SalisburySugaring]

Sky's the limit on improvements, I went nuts and added 4 major improvements for 2011. So its not as much what you do. As it is do you know when to stop?
I would start with a nice 16 x 20 foot timber frame sugar house. When you have that done the rest will fall into place:)
I think you have a very nice set up now.
"Keep your wood dry and close by". ( hey that has a nice ring to it:) Take a look at the threads on building your own pans for that arch too. Looks like you could set a drop flue pan on the rear and divided reverse flow pan on the front? They would be small but might boil a lot faster?
Chris

See...Chris has the right idea. Build the sugar house and the arch will come...Nice!:lol: